I couldn't read the article. I read most of the comments.
I'm a new truck driver, since March 1st of this year. I drive for one of the biggest trucking companies in the country.
When weather is bad, they call or message us to shut down. I've never felt any pressure 2 exceed the legally allowed number of driving hours. If you're going to be late for some legitimate reason, you let the company know, and you're then not considered late. They reschedule the appointment.
It's definitely a lifestyle that a lot of people would not want to do. I am unusual in that I enjoy my alone time. Yeah this is Extreme alone time, but I like it. There probably are not a lot of people like me, but probably more than you would think.
Edit:
I've lost 20 pounds since I started driving. Driving doesn't cause you to lose weight, but I knew weight gain is a problem, so I really focus on eating carefully. My truck has a refrigerator. I think it used to have a microwave, but I think the former driver gave it to himself as a going-away present.
Most problems are solvable. I plan on very slowly incorporating a few solutions to a few problems. My truck has a good inverter, so I have a coffee pot and I make my own coffee in the morning, it's cheaper than truck stop coffee and I like it better. I'll get a small microwave eventually, and possibly bring a Crock-Pot or similar.
I shop when I'm home, but that's usually not enough for the two or three weeks that I will be out. So when it's convenient to me I will drive to a Walmart, where they are Truck friendly, and stock up. Truckers also will sometimes Park overnight at Walmart, but not all of them allow it.
Pay to start is low, but larger companies recently, including mine, have begun to increase starting pay, and incorporate bonuses for existing. Pay increases regularly over quarters, but it will be a few years before you're making what you might call good money.
Right now I'm shut down for the night at a truck stop about a half hour north of Las Vegas on I-15, that Corridor that someone here said nee guys never get. This is not my first time on this route. This is my second Thousand Mile trip this week.
My only serious complaint is parking. I'm parked on the street across from the truck stop, because I got a late start and finished late. If the country hired any significant fraction of the trucker shortage, there would be no where to park. Drive down a major Interstate some night at 10 or 3 in the morning, and really look and see how many trucks are wedged into non parking spaces. We have to do it, because of hours of service regulations.
Everyone has anecdotes, pro and con, including me. Don't think that the article, or the comments here, give you good and accurate coverage of the subject. Everything everyone says here is probably true, for that person's experience. But like in any area, your mileage may vary.
[Apologies for Trump style random capitalization, my phone does that to me when I speech to text.]
I'm a new truck driver, since March 1st of this year. I drive for one of the biggest trucking companies in the country.
When weather is bad, they call or message us to shut down. I've never felt any pressure 2 exceed the legally allowed number of driving hours. If you're going to be late for some legitimate reason, you let the company know, and you're then not considered late. They reschedule the appointment.
It's definitely a lifestyle that a lot of people would not want to do. I am unusual in that I enjoy my alone time. Yeah this is Extreme alone time, but I like it. There probably are not a lot of people like me, but probably more than you would think.
Edit:
I've lost 20 pounds since I started driving. Driving doesn't cause you to lose weight, but I knew weight gain is a problem, so I really focus on eating carefully. My truck has a refrigerator. I think it used to have a microwave, but I think the former driver gave it to himself as a going-away present.
Most problems are solvable. I plan on very slowly incorporating a few solutions to a few problems. My truck has a good inverter, so I have a coffee pot and I make my own coffee in the morning, it's cheaper than truck stop coffee and I like it better. I'll get a small microwave eventually, and possibly bring a Crock-Pot or similar.
I shop when I'm home, but that's usually not enough for the two or three weeks that I will be out. So when it's convenient to me I will drive to a Walmart, where they are Truck friendly, and stock up. Truckers also will sometimes Park overnight at Walmart, but not all of them allow it.
Pay to start is low, but larger companies recently, including mine, have begun to increase starting pay, and incorporate bonuses for existing. Pay increases regularly over quarters, but it will be a few years before you're making what you might call good money.
Right now I'm shut down for the night at a truck stop about a half hour north of Las Vegas on I-15, that Corridor that someone here said nee guys never get. This is not my first time on this route. This is my second Thousand Mile trip this week.
My only serious complaint is parking. I'm parked on the street across from the truck stop, because I got a late start and finished late. If the country hired any significant fraction of the trucker shortage, there would be no where to park. Drive down a major Interstate some night at 10 or 3 in the morning, and really look and see how many trucks are wedged into non parking spaces. We have to do it, because of hours of service regulations.
Everyone has anecdotes, pro and con, including me. Don't think that the article, or the comments here, give you good and accurate coverage of the subject. Everything everyone says here is probably true, for that person's experience. But like in any area, your mileage may vary.
[Apologies for Trump style random capitalization, my phone does that to me when I speech to text.]